In this space a few weeks ago, we told readers about recent reports of a massive decline in honeybee populations across the nation. In fact, one research organization claims the U.S. honeybee population could be down as much as almost 50 percent.

Now we are hearing that populations of another flying creature are taking a hit: birds.

The populations of 20 common American birds are half what they were 40 years ago, according to a National Audubon study released last week. Many of those species depend on open, grassy habitats that are disappearing.

According to the study, today there are 432 million fewer of these bird species, including the northern pintail, greater scaup, boreal chickadee, common tern, loggerhead shrike, field sparrow, grasshopper sparrow, snow bunting, black-throated sparrow, lark sparrow, common grackle, American bittern, horned lark, little blue heron and ruffed grouse.

Our state is not exempt from these fidings - Audubon Arkansas found similar population drops.

The study showed populations of some of the state's most common birds are declining because urban sprawl and agricultural expansion are encroaching on the fowls' grassland, forest and wetland homes.

"We've been given a wake-up call," said Dan Scheiman, bird conservation coordinator with Audubon Arkansas. "These [population] declines are a warning that we need to do something about it, and fortunately it's not too late to do something about it."

Five species in Arkansas - the northern bobwhite, the eastern meadowlark, the field sparrow, the loggerhead shrike and the prothonotary warbler - have seen their populations decline by 60 percent or more in the last 40 years, Scheiman said.

The declining numbers Audubon noted are not negligible - the bird that has seen the greatest drop in Arkansas is the loggerhead shrike, which has declined by nearly 92 percent, mostly from loss of habitat, Scheiman said. Northern bobwhite populations in the state are down at least 70 percent, and have diminished mainly because of loss of suitable habitat to development and agricultural expansion and also because of the planting of exotic grasses and plantation-style forestry practices.

Field sparrow and eastern meadowlark populations are down 67 and 77 percent respectively, due in part to expanding agriculture and urban development.

It's not all bad news for all birds. The wild turkey, which was once threatened, is growing at a rate of 14 percent a year nationally.

Many of the birds disappearing are specialists, while the thriving ones are generalists that do well in urban sprawl and all kinds of environments, said Greg Butcher of the National Audubon Society. Those include the robin, Carolina wren, blue jay and crow.

For the birds not doing so well, what does the future hold for them?

Although the birds are threatened, Scheiman said it's not likely they'll be extinct in the near future. He added that more public involvement is needed to keep the birds from becoming endangered or extinct.